


Telephone Conversation

by MellMellMell



Series: A Friend for Robert Sugden. [1]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: A friend for Robert, Because he desperately needs one, Friendship, Love, M/M, Male/Female Friendship, Some Home Truths, Support, because they can happen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-17
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-31 11:05:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8575912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MellMellMell/pseuds/MellMellMell
Summary: Robert has a long overdue phone call with his best friend. 
Canon compliment up until the point where Robert actually has a friend. She is Scottish, lives in London. And is no threat to Robron.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is the first time I have made up an adult original character, so I am a bit nervous. I have toyed around with the idea of her, and writting about her for a while, and after the events of the past few days, I think what Robert needs is a friend. Someone not entirely caught up in everything to give him some home truths. And this is it. 
> 
> She is female, Scottish, around ages with Aaron. I spent ages tryna get the maths to work out when it came to ages. She is NO threat to Robron. I want Robert to have a female friend to show that just cause he's bi doesn't mean he can't have friends from each sex. I hope that comes across. 
> 
> I hope you like it, I would love to hear what you think. I enjoyed writting her and about her, so if you want more, then I'm happy to write. I may write anyway, but it's always better is someone enjoys.
> 
> PS her second name has nothing to do with Eastenders, it's a tribute to my other favourite couple of the moment, Mitchell and Cam on Modern Family. 
> 
> Sorry, essay over, enjoy! x

"Well hello there stranger,", came a cheery, Scottish voice from the mobile in Robert Sugdens hand. 

It has been a long time since he had done this; talked to her. And if ever there was a time he needed to, it was now. 

"Hey you,", he replied, smiling properly for the first time all day. 

He had faked a sore head last night, and gone to bed before Aaron. Then he had faked sleep, when Aaron came up to the room a few hours later. He had then preceded to get up for work early, kissing Aaron softly on the forehead while the younger man mumbled something about it being tooooo early to be awake. But Robert couldn't face him awake. Not after what he had done. He could barely look in the mirror. 

So here he was, a few hours later, sitting in the stairs in the back of the pub, on the phone to the only real friend he had ever had. Casey. Casey Mitchell. If there was one person who wouldn't judge him, it was her. 

"Hows Aaron?", she asked, her voice soothing Robert's stress with every word. 

"Not yet,", was all he replied. She knew what he meant. Something had happened, and he would tell her eventually. 

"Okay then, how are you?",

He just scoffed, which in turn made her smile. _Man, he's an idiot,_ , she thought, _can't wait to find out what this is about now_. Even in her thoughts she was sarcastic, and Robert knew exactly what she was thinking. 

"No Case, you talk, just talk, about anything, how's Scott?"

"Well Scott is good, he's grown his hair out, can't decide how I feel about it. I mean the 'boho' side of me loves it, the business woman side who runs a company knows it's unprofessional. Listen to me. Unprofessional. Who do I think I am!".

She was laughing, and it was making him laugh. She never fails to make him laugh.

One of Roberts biggest grievances in his relationship is that Aaron has never met her. He will, one day, hopefully soon. Because he knows, of all the people Robert met on his time away from the village, she's the best. And Aaron will love her. 

***

_"Come on Robert, you must have a best friend! Even I have a best friend!"_

_Robert just rolled his eyes at the young lad laying across the hotel bed. It was a rare, full night away. Chrissie off to London on a 'girls trip' to meet her sister, and Robert had spotted the perfect opportunity for glorious hotel sex with the man he really wanted._

_Except, when they had so much time, less was actually spent on sex. They talked, laughed, and opened up to each other, little by little. Robert always came away saying that next time it would just be sex, because he always felt that little bit more in love with the grumpy mechanic after the talking, and the laughing, and the heart to hearts. And that just wasn't in the plan._

_He rolled onto his side, and found himself looking into the gorgeous blue eyes of Aaron Dingle. Who was looking back at him expectantly._

_"Fine,", grumped the blonde, but smiling all the same, "her name is Casey,"_

_"Her?"_

_"Yeah, she's a girl. Problem?"_

_"What? No no, just wasn't expecting it that's all. I mean guys and girls usually have best friends of the same gender.."._

_Robert knew what he was aiming at. Usually your best friend is of the opposite gender to who date. He'd heard enough of this from Chrissie. It always made him defensive._

_"And I sleep with both so which do I pick?"_

_"That isn't what I meant,", defended Aaron._

_"And your best friend is a guy, and you sleep with men!"_

_"Oi, Robert calm down, that is not what I meant. It took me by surprise is all, and yeah maybe I did mean that a little, but you're right. Adam is a guy, and I'm gay, so if she's your best mate fine,"._

_"Sorry, I'm just used to defending her," sighed Robert, looking at Aaron apologetically. The younger man was staring back, looking, waiting for more, "Chrissie hates her. Thinks I'm gonna run off with her. Thinks we're carrying on behind her back. Which we aren't. Never have been, not even before I met Chrissie. She used to laugh that she was the one human in London I hadn't slept with. She's probably not far off,"._

_"And why didn't you?", asked Aaron, genuinely curious. He couldn't really blame Chrissie for worrying, I mean, he was laying in a hotel bed with the man she married._

_Robert just made a face at the question, as if it was ridiculous._

_"It would be like sleeping with Vic. When I met her I was mess, but she wasn't. She had come down from Glasgow not long before and was living in a rough studio apartment on the river. We were in a club, I had been... enjoying myself in the toilet with a young lad, when I crashed into her, spilled her drink, bought her another, and that was that. Like fate, if I believed in it,"._

_Aaron watched as the older man thought about his next words. When he had asked he had expected a bog standard answer, but this was Robert Sugden, nothing was ever easy._

_"I got so drunk, and she took me back to hers. Never even slept together that first night, said I never even tried it on. To be fair, I was preeeetty drunk so if I had managed it would have been a miracle. I moved in the next day. We topped and tailed on her mattress, not even a bed, a mattress on the floor for years,"_

_Aaron had never seen him look so fond of anything, or anyone, not even Vic. It was nice, to see a side of Robert that didn't lie, cheat, and scheme, a side that clearly loves someone._

_"She steadied me. Grounded me. I had been out the village a few years. I was probably about twenty four, and she was just seventeen, turning eighteen, but she was far more mature than me. I needed her. Probably still do if I'm honest. Our friends used to say she was my moral compass. And looking back at the decisions I've made since I came here without her, they were probably right,"._

_"She sounds great,", admitted Aaron honestly, genuinely meaning it. He always got jealous when Robert talked about Chrissie, and he would have expected this person to be the same. Except he wasn't. At all. He was just glad Robert had someone who looked out for him._

***

"But I've rambled on enough, Robbie, gonna tell me what's happened or should I just start guessing?"

He laughed at her, always to the point, always seeing through him. If she was here this would never have happened, he knew that fine well. 

"Rebecca,", was his simple answer. She could figure out the rest. 

"Of course, well when you told me your plan of having her come to the village I knew you were in for trouble. Can't you just have an easy life?"

"Apparently not,", he barked. He loved Casey, more than anyone apart from maybe Aaron, and now Liv, but her candidness for sure annoyed him. 

"Hey, don't get tetchy with me, just cause you've bitten of more than you can chew. Which I'm sure is only a surprise to you,"

"Oh shut up Casey,"

"Fine, as long as you continue your story and **tell me** what the hell happened,", he knew she was smirking. He was half amused by her, and half wanted to hang up the phone. 

"She kissed me,", he admitted finally,

"Right,"

"I mean, again, yesterday, she kissed me yesterday,". 

She was silent, and that scares him more than anything. She was very rarely at a loss for words. 

When she did finally speak, it was exactly what he was dreading but entirely expecting. 

"You, Robert Jacob Sugden, are a bloody idiot! How, how could you do this!"

"Casey, I don't wanna-"

"No shut up and let me speak, you phoned me, so you can bloody well listen. I get, you want your brother back, I really do. But this is out of hand. You are going to lose everything! You are gonna lose Aaron, you are gonna lose Liv, and from what your texts have said these past few days, you are gonna lose Diane! Stop this nonsense. The man tried to have you killed. You paid him back by not going to the police. For once, once in your life, think about you. The real you. Not the scheming, lying Robert who married Chrissie. The one who used to hold me for hours when some boy or girl messed me about. The one who was there for Aaron during the trial. The Robert I hear on the phone, the one who is my **best friend**. Don't mess up the best things in your life because you think you don't deserve them, alright you do. You do, please Robert,". 

"I wish you were here,", was all he said. His voice cracking to go along with the tears in his eyes.

"Yeah well maybe one day. The wedding at least,". 

"Oh gonna actually come to this one,", he laughed out, emotion still clear in his voice. 

"You know why I didn't come to the last one,", she laughed back, "between Chrissie 'forgetting' about me, to you marrying the wrong person I decided against it. It was a boycott. I was making a statement,". 

"And you were right,"

"Obviously,". 

They both sat for a second, smiling at their phones, knowing the other person was doing the same. 

After a beat she spoke again, "you have to tell him,". 

"I can't,"

"Why?".

"Because.. I didn't automatically push her away," he admitted, and without seeing him, she could feel the shame he was feeling. 

"Yeah I guessed,", she replied, "you have enough self confidence to get over this if you weren't guilty of something. Aaron will forgive you, if he is who you say he is, because he'll know the Robert of last year would have just slept with her. And you didn't, and that is something at least. But you _have_ to distance yourself from her,". 

"But then we'll have lost Andy for good,". 

"Well you have to decide. Do you keep Aaron, and lose Andy. Or risk everything in the possibility of getting Andy home, while definitely losing Aaron,". 

"You're right, again. I hate that,". 

"Well I'm not gonna say obviously again but oh wait! I did!"

"I hate you,", he spoke, his words losing effect when they are said with such fondness. 

"Yeah, yeah, love you too,". 

"I miss you Case,"

"Miss you too, Robbie. Tell me, did you go to grave?".

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes, i tried very hard to get rid of them! Please let me know what you think!


End file.
